Spring Collection: beautifully free

I've learned this.

Beauty is found not only in the lovely places, but in the difficult.

There's the pronounced beauty that captivates us and grips our hearts: a welcoming home, a field of flowers, a fireplace in winter, sidewalk cafes in spring, and a mountaintop view. God created beauty. He is the master artist. We were made to enjoy it.

But so often I've neglected to embrace the full scope of beauty. Because there exists a type of beauty that is less apparent and less pursued, but utterly stunning when we catch a glimpse.

It's the beauty of sacrificial love. The beauty that's found on the difficult road. He taught us everything about that, too, and instructs us to pursue it relentlessly.

When we sacrifice for the sake of another, and out of our love for Jesus, we are forced into dependency on God. Those are the moments that school us in beauty.

Here's the thing: We might not fear sacrifice if we understood the immense beauty that's found in it. If we knew that just beyond the borders of our comfort zone lay stunning discoveries, we would break down more of those self-protecting boundaries.

He teaches us about the beautiful life that's found when we look to the hurting, the needy, the orphan, the homeless, the refugee, the prisoner, the slave, and the outcast. When we pursue love and justice we will always find beauty. It won't be without pain, cost, and heartache, but those things make the beauty stand out all the more.

It's with this in mind that I created these pieces. To me, they reflect hope and the beauty of sacrificial love.